Bridge Educational Foundation has announced scholarships totaling $45,000 to local families through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

UnitedHealthcare and Verizon donated the scholarships to benefit children attending Indiana Wesleyan, St. Bernard School, Seeds of Faith Christian Academy and Calvary Baptist. Students, families and local officials, including Sen. Don White, R-Indiana, and state Rep. Dave Reed, R-Indiana, attended the event to show their support for Pennsylvania’s EITC Program and the local schools.

“I applaud the efforts of the Bridge Foundation and the sponsors who made these grants possible,” White said. “Parents are ultimately responsible for the education their children receive. By providing these scholarships, educational opportunities are available to parents and their children that are otherwise unaffordable. Few investments we make as a society are more important than those that support and promote quality education for our youth.”

Natalie Nutt, executive director of the Bridge Educational Foundation, said that without the EITC program, many families could not afford educational options.

“This tax credit encourages businesses to become investors in the education of our young folks,” said Reed. “The EITC program is an example of government working together with the private sector to accomplish a shared goal. The end result is more educational opportunities for our students and a better-educated workforce for employers.”

The scholarship donations are part of K-12 EITC program, which provides companies with a 75 percent tax credit — 90 percent for a two-year commitment — for funds donated to approved, non-profit scholarship or educational improvement organizations. Businesses may donate up to $750,000 per year though the program.

PHOTO: The Bridge Educational Foundation announced Friday the donation of $45,000 in scholarships to families in Indiana County. Pictured, students prayed at Seeds of Faith Christian Academy.